David Brown
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It was supposed to be the stay-at-home year, when millions of Britons chose not to fly abroad but to bask in the British sunshine – but of course it didn’t turn out like that.
For those left in any doubt about this summer’s weather, the release of official figures yesterday proved that it has been one of the wettest and dullest on record. And it is about to get worse. Some of the most dramatic thunder and lightning storms of the year are expected tomorrow, bringing the risk of flooding, large hailstones and even tornados.
Met Office statistics show rainfall this summer is already up to 50 per cent higher than normal and August is on course to have the fewest hours of sunshine since records began.
The average rainfall across the UK from June 1 to August 26 is 317.7mm, 40 per cent more than normal, with five days of readings still to be considered. The wettest summer since records began in 1914 was in 1956 when 358.4mm fell, while last year 357.1mm was recorded.
This month is also expected to be one of the dullest since sunshine records began in 1929. The national average of 96.3 sunshine hours up to August 26 is already 40 per cent below the month’s average. The previous dullest August was in 1942, with 111.4 hours.
Hot days were also scarce, with the mercury climbing over 30C (86F) only twice. In contrast, 2006 was a scorcher, with 20 days over 30C and a top temperature of 36.5C (98F). However, the national summer temperatures this year were higher than average, 14.3C, up 0.2C on the usual 14.1C.
The awful summer has been blamed on jet stream winds delivering weather more usually seen in Iceland.
Helen Chivers, a Met Office forecaster, said: “It drives weather systems in the northern hemisphere and is normally located between Iceland and northern Scotland – but this summer, it’s been over England, Wales and France.”
Today is expected to be very warm with temperatures peaking at 27C but the meteorological summer will end tomorrow in a spectacular bang with the arrival of the first “Spanish plume” of the year. Warm air from France and a cold front from the west are forecast to lead to big thunderstorms. The main threat is from hailstones up to 2cm in diameter. There will also be downpours, with up to 25-30mm of rain within an hour, leading to flash floods. Tornados could also appear.
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Bill, York; you either misunderstood the prof, or he was wrong. The pre-industrial level of CO2 was about 280ppm. 200 years later it's about 400ppm and rising fast. At 280ppm it warms the earth by about 3C. You do the maths.
Google Svente Arrenhius for confirmation. The science well established.
paul , sheffield, uk
Climate change happens naturally, its just on this cycle we are adding massive amounts of co2 etc.(since the industrial revolution) while needing to feed and supply power to a massive population. Its climate change all over the planet not just local rainfall, get an education, you sound so ignorant.
am, letchworth,
"Tornados could also appear. "
Where?
A weather forecast is pretty useless unless it provides a location.
According to the Met Office, no tornados are forecast for the south coast of the UK in the next 5 days. Not even strong winds.
Can The Times hire some decent journalists, please?
Mike, Brighton, England
A professor of chemistry told me that 97% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere occurs naturally. Even Gormless Gordo could work out how much that leaves for us to do something about. In five years there'll be another fashionable drum to bang.
Bill Harding, York,
When you consider we once had window taxes watchout for lightning, rain and hail taxes. The lightning one will be based on what the energy was worth if the strike could be piped into the grid. It's all our fault of course and nothing whatsoever to do with natural balance :o)
Pete, West Mids,
The global warming nutters told us earlier in the year that this would be the hottest summer on record - what happened what went wrong with this perfect theory of manmade catastophe subscribed to by failed politicians and the gormless?
philip, Ipswich,
If both a positive and negative result are sufficient proof for a hypothesis, the reasoning might be somewhat flawed.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in favour of green technology and reduced emissions - I'm an asthmatic, I like my air clean - but Global Warming has become a matter of belief, not science.
John Swaine, Malta, Malta
I blame Gorden Brown as I do for most things these days. I think Gorden was going to bring in a sunshine tax until the poor weather. Maybe he'll opt for a cloud tax instead. I agree our new wine drinking environmental high priests chosen by the chattering classes will blame us and tax us as usual.
Geoff Jarvis, Weymouth,
Is it just coincidence that the weather has been awful ever since Gordon Brown became PM??
Linda, Truro, UK
After this summer I'm taking the car to the end of the garden, leaving the lights on 24/7 (energy unefficient of course) and asking for new carrier bags every time I visit the supermarket.
We could do with a bit of global warming if you ask me.
john moore, windsor, u.k.
How can global warming be attributed to "unnatural" causes yet the current global cooling is apparently due to "natural" causes
How stupid do they think the public actually are? If it smells like a rat and sounds like a rat...there probably IS a rat
Billy, Cardiff , Wales
Its not the government Peter, its science. I know you probably think you know more than NASA, The Royal Society, the American Academy of Science, Harvard, Yale and Oxbridge - but why dont you look up what they say about global warming...
Daniel Ratter, London,
No doubt the government will spin this as a direct consequence of global warming which can only be countered with an immediate 100% increase in "green taxes".
Peter Hastingss, Folkestone, England